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yThe Tunnels of FerdinandJames Moloney,
Pymble:HarperCollins,2004Z11416912004single work children's fiction children's science fiction AbstractSet in the future, children are raised in huge dormitories supervised by robots. When Berrin is thrown out, he is rescued by other escaped children who live in the sewers.

'The second instalment in James Moloney's compelling Doomsday Rats series takes up the story exactly where Book One left off ... In a futuristic city ruled by an evil scientific genius, the resistance group of children known as the Doomsday Rats might be the only hope of saving mankind. Up until now their greatest advantage has been that no-one knows they live in the underground tunnels - but three of them have just been forced to reveal the secret. Now the rats are fighting for their lives, as they are tracked through the tunnels by the hideous Gadges - the city's security force - using a strange creature with the hearing of a bat and the sight of a vulture. Yet maybe this creature isn't on the Gadges' side after al ... There's worse to come, as the Rats must face the terrifying Firedrake - and a robotic scorpion that fires missiles from its tail. But when the Gadges decide to flood the tunnel system, how many of the Rats will survive?' (Publication summary)

'Book 3 in James Moloney's page-turning Doomsday Rats series. Berrin has been one of only a handful of humans to escape the control of the evil Malig Tumora. But when Berrin emerges onto the creek bank after a scorpion-like cannon has flooded the tunnels, Malig Tumora's servants, the gruesome-looking Gadges, recapture him. Imprisoned within Malig Tumora's menagerie, Berrin meets Aden, an unusual boy with a powerful learning ability. Together, the boys face many challenges as they complete a series of tests aimed at identifying a suitable clone that will make all remaining humans obsolete. But Berrin and Aden face a more immediate threat when they come face-to-face with Malig Tumora's most terrifying creation: a computer that turns against its own creator, successfully enlisting the support of the Gadges in return for a blood promise. Berrin's mission intensifies as he sets out to find the moths that are capable of destroying the purple flower, the fragrance of which controls the humans under Malig Tumora's power. When all hope seems lost, can the boys escape the bloodthirsty Gadges and complete the task of saving humankind from a horrifying fate?' (Publication summary)

'Book Four in the exciting Doomsday Rats series. Berrin and the Rats return to battle against the evil of Malig Tumora. On the streets of the city, the Gadges are on guard. There is no way to destroy the purple flowers which keep the grown-ups in Malig Tumora's power. Or is there? Berrin has heard of a special moth that feeds on the purple flowers. It might be the weapon the Rats are looking for. The moth is said to survive on Mount Windenback, but no one has heard of such a place. Can Berrin and his team of Doomsday Rats find the precious moth before Malig Tumora discovers it for himself and destroys their last hope?' (Publication summary)

'Berrin and the Rats are attempting to breed large numbers of the moth rescued from the lair of the mountain beast, in the hope that the resultant caterpillars will devour the flowers that give Malig Tumora control over the adults. Meanwhile, Malig Tumora is mounting a renewed offensive. New robotic dangers appear: vicious new creatures threaten the Rats in their underground tunnels. Time is also running out for Berrin's uncle, the fabled Ferdinand, who is still trapped underground. If Berrin does not free him from the tunnels soon, he will die. A do-or-die showdown ensues between the Rats and Malig Tumora's fearful henchmen, the Gadges. But as the struggle finally swings the way of the Rats, Berrin faces his biggest dilemma. His parents live and work in the ominous Obsidian Building, which also houses Malig Tumora. To destroy his enemy completely, Berrin must risk causing the death of his own parents ...' (Publication summary)